Mao Xinyu (born 17 January 1970) is a grandson of Mao Zedong and a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the People's Liberation Army of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Early life and education

Born the son of

Mao Anqing Mao Anqing (; 23 November 1924 – 23 March 2007) was the last surviving son of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. He was the second son of Mao and his wife, Yang Kaihui. He had a mental illness, possibly schizophrenia. He w ...

in 1970, he is one of Mao Zedong's twelve grandchildren. He spent the first 11 years of his life away from his parents, who were based in Russia. He graduated from the History Department of

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC; ) is a national key public research university in Beijing, China. The university is affiliated to the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. RUC ...

in 1992. He works as a researcher at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, where he completed his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

Career

Mao has written several books, including ''Grandfather Mao Zedong (Yeye Mao Zedong)'', published by the National Defence University Press in October 2003. In June 2009, Mao won promotion to the rank of

in the People's Liberation Army in a controversial move. According to the ''Changjiang Daily'', Mao is now the youngest general in the PLA. Some critics described his promotion as nepotism. "To have such an unqualified person become a general in China's military, it's an insult to the People's Liberation Army," said Pu Zhiqiang, a lawyer and human rights activist.Mao's grandson, promoted to major general, faces ridicule
by John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times, 4 August 2010 By contrast, Bao Goujin, a spokesman for the Academy of Military Sciences, said "his is a natural elevation. Mao's many achievements earned him the right to be promoted."Chairman Mao’s grandson Mao Xinyu is China's youngest general
, London Evening Standard, 2 August 2010 Mao's own view is that "family factors" contributed to his promotion. Mao is also a member of the Chinese

National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

, an advisory group to the central government. In September 2011, Mao took up a teaching position at

Guangzhou University Guangzhou University (GU; ) is a state university in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, China. The university is made up of two campuses. The major campus is located in Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center (HEMC, geographically called X ...

, teaching Mao Zedong Thought at Songtian Professional College.

Family

Mao's father,

(1923–2007), was a child of Mao's marriage with

Yang Kaihui Yáng Kāihuì (; courtesy name: Yúnjǐn (); 6 November 1901 – 14 November 1930) was the second wife of Mao Zedong, whom he married in 1920. She had three children with Mao Zedong: Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, and Mao Anlong. Her father w ...

. Anqing served as a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

– Chinese interpreter for the Chinese Communist Party until he became disabled by a mental illness, possibly schizophrenia.More about Mao, from his grandson
Tapei Times, 15 January 2004 His mother, Chairman Mao's daughter-in-law, was Shao Hua (). Mao's first wife was waitress Hao Mingli(郝明莉). The wedding ceremony was held on 7December 1997, but Hao died in 2003 at

Qincheng Prison The Ministry of Public Security Qincheng Prison () is a maximum-security prison located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China. The prison was built in 1958 with aid from the Soviet Unio ...

, an institution well known for its political prisoners, having been incarcerated there since 2002. Mao Xinyu remarried in 2003 to Liu Bin (), who was from Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province and whom he had met in 2000. Mao Xinyu and Liu Bin have one son, Mao Dongdong (毛东东, born 2003), as well as one daughter, Mao Tianyi (毛甜懿, born 2008). In 2013, discussing his grandfather, he said that Mao Zedong had been "put on an altar" but "only by transforming them back into real people can they be understood and accepted by the public, who will then want to learn from them."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mao, Xinyu 1970 births Mao Zedong family Living people PLA Academy of Military Science alumni Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party alumni Renmin University of China alumni People's Liberation Army generals from Beijing Members of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Guangzhou University faculty People's Republic of China historians Poets from Beijing Educators from Beijing People's Republic of China calligraphers Artists from Beijing People's Republic of China poets Historians from Beijing